Soiling Wiater 101: An Introduction to Cooking Wed. 4-5:30 Feb* $*4Peb. If University Health ■CejVMny'Cjfflwthtin? k Call 346“2794 to register. Learn basic skids to pre pare quick, nutritious and delicious ms&JsHf you feel like you ha/e no time*,. ' money or Nativity, then this is the workshop for you. Class is limited to seven students, Cost is ns. citiiitiit Quit Kit Quktingtpbaoeo is the, healthiest move you can1 make! Pick up acquit kit” from a Health Center practitioner or from the : Health £d Office, CyyiFT 'U**X*&jnumjfrtjrti jiil %wuam ■- - 4:00ip?3& pm -' University Health Center Hedfcal Ubrary Gather inform -ttion and resources to help you quit for good Aids such as the patch, zyband, gum and behavior strategies wilt be discussed CPR Certification Mondays $-9 pm Health Center Cafeteria' Heart saver course w two year certification. Register at 346-2270. W"9 ’Wlr ' 'f'-'y/ Screening Every Tuesday ,: fdMMM*3$am UO Health Center, Health Education Office Simply drop by, no appointment necessary. Health infoTables Kec Center Wednesdays 3:00 - 5:00 pm Jan. 15 - Heathy , ftesofebons Jan. 29 - Contraception Feb. 12 - National Condom Wfeek Feb, 26 - Healthy Body ' Image Spring Thing HI March 5, 3-5 pm Health & Fitness Fair at the Rec Center To register for or to learn ||more about .pops, check out thepi University HePb Center's: website at /« htar2iMtlied.uoregon.edu/ | Sou can also cal) 346 44 56 4F or stop by the PberHeaith EducseOftOfiiGe 6Mb* '« 1 irst #ixr IJta&g&rsiiy He*$h Osftlejs By Cara McCarthy How, when and where did you first learn about sex? Were you comfortable enough to discuss it openly? Did you feel you were given accurate, realistic information? Did you feel that you had been given the re sponsibility to make whatever choices felt right for you? These are the main questions of the “Rights, Respect, Responsibility” (RRR) Initiative, founded byAdvo cates for Youth and currently being adopted by organizations, from church groups to grade schools, across the nation.The idea behind the campaign is this: provide afford able, confidential family planning services; establish sustained, realis tic media campaigns; educate peo ple with information based on sci entific research; and create an open dialogue between parents, youth and educators.This is a radically dif ferent way of addressing sexuality in our culture but has proven to be a very successful approach in other countries. For the past 5 years, Advocates for Youth has sent a team of educa tors, health care workers and youth to Western Europe to study the me dia, public health policy and philos ophy regarding sex in those coun tries.What they have seen on their study tours to Germany, France and the Netherlands is that sexuality in these countries is viewed as a natu ral and healthy part of being hu man. People are encouraged to talk openly with parents, educators and clergy members and are given ac curate and realistic information so they are able to make their own, ed ucated decisions about sex. Sexual ity is addressed repeatedly in the media in a normal, positive and of ten humorous light. Family plan ning services are accessible and af fordable. And, instead of being urged to abstain completely from sex, people are encouraged to delay sex until they are emotionally, phys ically and socially ready. In these countries the message about sex is simple and repeated time and time again by parents, educators and the media: safe, responsible sex or no sex. What results from this ap proach is teens in these countries wait an average of 11/2 years longer than U.S. teens to have sex for the first time and a decrease in rates of unintended pregnancies, abortions and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among people of all reproductive ages. RRR is work ing to bring this European model of sexuality education home to the United States. Since 1997, $500 million United States dollars have been set aside for use in “abstinence-only until marriage” education, although no research has proven this to be an ef fective strategy.The driving force behind RRR is the realization of a society where people are valued to make their own choices about their sexuality and public health policy is grounded in scientific research. This would be a society where en couraging healthy sexual attitudes and behaviors is regarded as a com munity responsibility. Access to free or low cost health care is one of the core values of the RRR campaign and the Uni versity Health Center is a great place to get information on contra ception, STI’s and other sexual health issues. Call for an appoint ment or stop by to see if you qualify for free family planning supplies and services under the FPEP grant. For more information about “Rights, Respect, Responsibility” go to www.wecandobetter.org or www.advocatesforyouth.org. r__ A New Men s Center on Campus continued Men’s Top Barriers to Obtaining Health Care • Need to conceal vulnerability and be independent • Lack of knowledge/misinformation about services • Lack of time/not feeling susceptible to health concerns (tie) Men in the UO study offered numerous suggestions for how the university could help guys attain better health, one of which was the development of a Men ’s Center. What will a Men’s Center do? The goal of the Men’s Center is to help men develop health promoting habits by increasing utilization of sup port services like those at the Health and Counseling Centers. Ideally, the Men’s Center will eventually be housed in a centrally located area such as the EMU. Ser vices envisioned include a health library with informa tion about campus resources, discussions, activities and mentoring opportunities aimed at health outreach with campus men. How is it being received? In order to demonstrate to the ASUO that students sup port the idea of a Men’s Center, a diverse group of students (n=260) was surveyed last spring. 93% were in support of Men’s Center, 89% felt men would benefit from a Men’s Center,86% believe that women would benefit from a Center,and 86% would refer a friend to the Men’s Center. Getting Involved George Hanawahine,doctoral student in Family and Marriage Counseling, is currently the director of the Men ’s Center. He observes,“Men are socialized from the time they are bom to be strong and tough. This often results in men attempting to solve most of their problems on their own. In society it is evident that men are privileged at many different levels, therefore some believe men don’t need services that help or benefit them. Statistics clearly show that men have serious social, health and emotional needs, therefore the mere existence and success of the Men’s Center would help legitimize this need.” Like the ASUO Women’s Center, the Men’s Center is governed with by-laws, a diverse advisory board and of ficers that provide guidance and decision making for the Center. The Men’s Center web site (http://www.geocities.com/rpscotty/UOMC.htm) of fers more on the philosophy and answers to frequently asked questions about the Center. To become involved or learn more about the Men’s Center, contact George at aghanawah@darkwing.uoregon.edu. ■ ...here at UO, men make up about 80% of the student conduct cases but are the minority at the Health and Counseling Cen ters.The Men’s Center hopes to change that. Winter 2003 Contributing Writers and Peer Health Educators